M. Appeal (Mass Appeal) — On media, feminism, political economy, college teaching and getting out more. By Danna Walker, Ph.D.

Dissident Media in our modern world…

October 8, 2007

Historically speaking dissident journalists have always received ill treatment from mainstream media outlets, take any variety of examples such as; Emma Goldman, Ida B Wells, William Lloyd Garrison, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and many others. All of these famous dissident journalists were harassed and criminalized by mainstream media and society in general. However, the life of a journalist has been getting more and more difficult in other areas of the world aside from the United States.

Only recently a reporter in Tijuana named Jesus Blancornelas was shot and seriously injured by gunmen. Blancornelas is well known for his investigative reporting that uncovered a political assassination and a variety of drug trafficking incidents. This makes his enemy lists very long, but what is important is the type of true journalism that people like Blancornelas do every day.

In this sense, even in our modern day world journalists are in danger of assassination either because of their investigation or their oath to report their findings. This is comparative to the ‘near’ tarring and feathering of Garrison. The political and criminal corruption that has spread through parts of Latin America has left activists and journalist alike either out of a job or dead for doing it. This is a crisis that needs to be solved in Latin America because without honest and accurate journalism the public has little way to understand and interact with what is going on around them.